


Repose

by lostgirlcarooo



Category: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:08:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25213690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostgirlcarooo/pseuds/lostgirlcarooo
Summary: The first confrontation with the skeksis happened at Stone in the Wood. Nothing will ever be as it was before. Deet is changed. A true resistance must be organized. The gelfling are united. What happens in the moments of repose for the gelfling? How do you heal when the fight hasn't even truly started?
Relationships: Deet & Rian (Dark Crystal), Deet/Rian (Dark Crystal)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Repose

The battle of Stone in the Wood had ended with victory, mostly thanks to Deet. She’d been so terrified of what she’d done, channeling the dark energy from the Emperor back at skekLach. I made her tremble to think she could do that under different circumstances. What if she hurt one of her friends? What if she hurt Rian during one of those moments when he moved daringly close to her, making her heartbeat race?

She panicked and fled the battle area, moving quickly without drawing too much attention to herself. Deet didn’t know where she’d head, but she knew she needed to put distance between herself and her loved ones. Which at the very least meant she wasn’t to return to Grot. Perhaps back to the Crystal Desert? There had to be somewhere amongst the dunes where she could take shelter while she tried to better understand the power she took on from the Sanctuary tree. 

Her feet continued to carry her away from the laughter and shouts of joy. She figured she’d been walking nearly ten minutes when she realized she was being followed. She turned around, and noticed Rian was quietly keeping pace with her, about twenty feet away. 

“Deet?” He asked.

She was silent as she locked eyes with him. She knew she must look rattled and horrifying in this moment, eyes glazed with purple and veins tinted the same dark hue. 

“Oh Deet.” His voice dropped. He tried to come closer to the Grottan, but Deet held out her arm to let him know to keep his distance.

“Rian, you shouldn’t be here.” She insisted, using her newfound powers to bend the will of surrounding foliage to create a barrier of thorns between the two of them.

“Actually, I can think of nowhere else I should be. The skeksis were defeated for now and you are I are completely tied up in this. This resistance, at its core, it you and I. Besides, selfishly I just can’t let you go. I’ve lost too much already.” Rian said, looking down at his hands he was wringing nervously.

“Rian, something is wrong with me. You saw what I did. I killed something.” 

“No Deet, you didn’t kill anything, the darkening did, and the darkening is something the skeksis themselves created.” Rian tried to plead with her.

“Is that how you were thinking when you removed the glaive from the Hunter? What did you say about the skeksis that killed your own father? You said “I am not a killer.” I don’t get to say that. I killed skekLach.” Deet said, emotion carrying heavy in her voice. Rian could tell she was crying but trying to keep her composure to persuade him that she was okay and in fact didn’t need him to take care of her. 

“Deet.” Rian said he name as softly as he could, imbuing it with sweetness, trying to reach out to her with his words since she wouldn’t allow him close to her. “You didn’t mean for what to happen to happen, and if we’re being realistic about this rebellion, it’s going to be us versus them. We cannot live in harmony with the skeksis in the castle, they will drain us, one by one. We are going to have to eliminate them.” He paused for a moment knowing this harsh reality would be a lot for Deet to fully come to terms with, even if she already understood that somewhere underneath the surface. “You shouldn’t carry this on your own. Please. Remember the Sanctuary Tree when it reached out to you to tell you about the darkening? How did you feel taking on it’s memories and feelings? You felt lonely¸ you ached to help it. That’s how I feel for you right know. You are carrying so much on your own. Please come out from your hiding now, please don’t run away. You need your friends right now and we need you. We can figure out some way to help you. Please.”

He could hear Deet’s labored breathing as she cried to herself. 

“Deet please.” Rian said, stepping close to her despite the thorns separating them.

Deet began to dry her eyes and came to meet Rian’s gaze. 

“Rian, I don’t know if I can do this. Any of this. I don’t know if I can go on my own, but I also don’t know if it would be okay for me to go with you. I don’t know what’s best and I don’t know what I have the strength to do.” She said, fiercely wiping at her face, drying up some of the tears. “I’ve never been on my own before. I was either with my family, my clan, or with Hup.”

“Or with me. Let me help you.” Rian said strongly. 

The thorns between the two of them began to subside, moving away and revealing Deet’s full figure. Rian slowly moved towards her, as to not startle her or push for too much too quickly. 

When he reached her, he slowly moved to take one of her hands into his. She allowed it. Tears continued to run down her cheeks, but her breathing leveled out. Rian could tell she was scared, her pulse rapid and skin damp. 

“Deet, what can I do to make you feel comfortable? What should we do next?” Rain asked her quietly, dipping his head to have his eyes meet hers. 

“I don’t know Rian. I don’t want to go back where everyone else is right now. I don’t feel like celebrating when I did something so horrible, when I feel so unlike myself.” Deet’s speech was more even than it has been before. It seemed she was calming down. 

Rian decided to sink to the ground a sit. He was exhausted after the standoff with the skeksis, but also he knew if he could just calm Deet down and decide what their next move would be, they’d both feel more settled. 

Deet followed his lead, sitting next to him, allowing him to continue to hold her hand in his. Before too long she felt the exhaustion seeping into her bones. She desperately needed rest. Something in her mind was telling her maybe things would feel better after she rested. After all, both she and Rian hadn’t properly rested in quite some time, and now they could. She let some time pass, just the two of them sitting with one another on the war forest floor.

“Rian?” She said, barely above a whisper. 

“Yes?” He asked, barely awake.

“We should take shelter.” She noted, not really offering a solution to that statement though.

Rian felt warm inside. She was going to stay with him. She would let him take care of her, at least in this moment. Something he dearly wanted to do from the moment he saw her absorb the darkening during the battle. He thought to himself about their options. They could simply stay where they were, they could find a home on the edge of Stone in the Wood, or they could walk until they found a podling village to shelter in. Of the options, heading back to a remote home in Stone in the Wood was likely the best bet. Rian wasn’t in the mood to sleep on the ground and he couldn’t help but still feel rattled from the battle. If it were all up to him the two of them would go back with everyone else immediately, but he understood that Deet needed some space, and he was willing to sacrifice his own comfort to help see her through her healing. 

“Let us go before we get too cold.” Rian stood up and offered her his hand to help her up. She took it and didn’t let go as he led her through the wood and back towards the town. He could tell she was nervous, so he made sure to periodically squeeze her hand to reassure her. 

They reached a small rounded home after a few minutes of walking and Rian knocked on the door. He knew nobody would be home. Everyone else would be celebrating around the Crucible in the town center. He opened the door and held it for Deet to go through before him. She walked into the home and immediately sighed and darted over to the bed where she took off her shoes and laid back on the bed, ready to close her eyes and do what she could to let sleep be her escape from reality.

“I guess you’re as exhausted as I am.” Rian chucked a bit, trying to clear the tension hanging between the two of them. 

“Yes.” She said and sighed.

Rian wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do in this situation. Did he join Deet in the bed? Did he politely assume a space on the floor? There weren’t many other options being that this was a small home, likely for a young or older couple without a childling. 

Rian tried his best to buy himself some time before Deet would inevitable confront him for his obvious discomfort. He began by slowly removing his shoes and stacking his light leather armor into a pile on a chair. He then looked around the room desperate for some kind of insight.

“Rian?” Deet’s high pitched voice cut through the silent room.

“Hmm?” Rian asked.

“Come lay down. You must be tired.” She said, lightly patting the bedside. “Also, I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep, but maybe with you nearby I can feel a little more calm.” 

Rian felt his cheeks warm. She felt safe with him. His heart surged with happiness for a short fleeting moment, before he remembered the reality of their situation. They were going to be the leaders of the movement against the skeksis. They had a long road in front of them, and Deet needed to heal, not just her body but also her heart which had broken when she released the darkening and taken life. Rian moved slowly towards the bed before climbing in and getting comfortable on his back.

Deet completely surprised him when she laid her head on his chest and snuggled into him. Neither gelfling said anything to one another. It was understood that this was just what was needed in the moment. 

*****

Morning came quickly for Rian. Exhaustion may have helped sleep claim him quickly, but it didn’t keep him from rising with the sun. When he opened his eyes slowly his vision was filled with Deet’s hair cascading around her face. She was in the same position she fell asleep in, her head on Rian’s chest. Rian tried his best to stay as still as possible so Deet could continue to rest, he knew she desperately needed it. 

He used the quiet time to try and think through what they needed to do next. Deet would need to heal, but Rian wasn’t sure how she could do that. All he knew was that the Sanctuary Tree had said the energy had to be transferred, probably in the same way that Deet had released the energy onto skekLach. They needed to know more about Deet’s new power. Perhaps they could go visit the Cradle Tree, Naia knew much more about the tree and the powers or wisdom it may possess. That’s where he’d start. Once Deet was awake he’d make his way into the town under the guise of giving her some privacy to wash up, and while he was there he would find them food and try to speak to Naia. Rian truly wished he had spent more time outside of the castle growing up. Both he and Deet lacked practical knowledge of Thra that other gelfling knew. He hoped perhaps Deet may open her mind to traveling with others, but he knew it was unlikely to happen. She was terrified of herself and had only by chance allowed him to stay by her side. 

Rian felt a bit more settled with some kind of plan in his mind. He sighed and looked down at Deet. He felt a little strange, but he couldn’t help but admire her beauty while she was snuggled into him. If things were different, he would want to court her, he’d never felt like the way he felt when he was with Deet. Even so, he knew if things were different they’d never have met. They would have never had the crazy days that brought them so close so quickly. 

Deet shifted a bit, rubbing her face into Rian’s tunic before her eyes fluttered open. She lifted her head from Rian’s chest and looked up at him. 

“Oh, you’re awake. Did I wake you?” She asked, voice lighter than it had been the previous day.

“No, no. I’ve been awake for a little while.” Rian said, realizing that she might feel like she inconvenienced him. “Just a few minutes really.” 

“Sorry I used you for a pillow.” She said, chuckling lightly. “I think I have a bad habit of cuddling too close when I share a sleeping space with someone else.”

Rian smiled at her. “It was no problem, I slept comfortably too.”

Deet returned his smile. “So, what should we do now?” She asked.

“I have a few ideas, but I think I’m going to run into town for some food and give you some time to yourself as well.” He said, shifting to get off of the bed. 

“Okay. I’ll be here when you return. Don’t be surprised if I haven’t moved much. I’m still quite tired.” She said, punctuating the sentence with a small yawn. 

Rian walked over to where he had laid his belonging the previous night and began to put his layers of clothing back over his light tunic and britches. He hesitated at first but ultimately decided to sling his sword over his shoulder as well, just in case. 

“I’ll be back soon.” He said, looking over his shoulder as he opened the door to the outside.

“See you.” Deet chirped back, still in the bed.

Once the door was closed Rian began the short walk to the center of Stone in the Wood. He wasn’t sure what kind of state everyone would be in when he arrived, but he hoped he could get the information he needed for Naia and return back to Deet as quickly as possible.

Rian made it to the town center and took in what was quite a comical scene. Since so many clans had traveled to support the uprising there were gelfling camped out in the middle of the town, sprawled anywhere they could fit. The other thing that Rian noticed was that it seemed that there had been quite a party after the battle. There were cups strewn all about the open gathering and some gelfling were still snoring loudly even with the three brothers hanging well into the sky. Under different circumstances Rian would have been regretful to have missed such a party but given the gravity of Deet’s situation and the fact that he couldn’t help but feel anxious about whatever would come next. The resistance had only just begun.

After walking around the town for a few minutes Rian spotted Gurjin sitting around a campsite with Kylan. He made his way over to them with purpose, hoping Naia would be somewhere nearby, but realizing that Kylan could likely tell him what he needed to know if she was too busy. 

“Rian!” Gurjin shouted, standing up and walking towards his friend. “We missed you last night during the celebrations, what happened dude?” Gurjin reached Rian and pulled him in for tight embrace. 

“It’s actually a long story, and why I’ve come to find you guys, and I was also looking for Naia. Do you mind if I sit?” Rian asked.

“Of course, join us for some broth! Naia should be back soon, she went to see her mother. I think the clans are trying to establish a plan forward. Nobody really knows what needs to happen next. I think they’d been looking for you and Deet as well.” Kylan said, speaking quickly.

Rian knew that they’d be looking for him. Some tough decisions would need to be made regarding what was next. The Stonewood clan, what was left of them, would need to figure out who would lead and if they’d stay in Stone in the Wood or perhaps join a larger clan for safety. The other clans would need to determine if they’d be creating militias, moving towards a centralized location, and thinking through the best strategy to fight the skeksis given that they likely had a lot of preparations left to go.

“Well, that was kind of what I needed to speak with you all about. Deet isn’t well.” Rian said flatly. “Perhaps I can wait for Naia’s return before I explain too much.” 

“Of course.” Gurjin nodded. “Whatever you think is best.” It seemed that Gurjin could sense the gravity of the situation just by Rian’s body language and tone. That was something Rian had missed when his dear friend had separated from them in the Crystal Desert, that sense of understanding that ran between them. That need to convey so much using so little.

The three sat around the campfire sipping bowls of Kylan’s broth and chatting about the previous night’s celebrations. Kylan had spent much of the night catching back up with Naia, but also chatting with Reky’r and Brea. Gurjin had consumed way too much ale and fell asleep early. Apparently Seladon was quite the rowdy drunk calling several toasts throughout the night. It seemed to have been a party for the ages. 

Naia arrived back some time afterwards. 

“Rian.” She said calmly. “You are a very much demanded presence today. There are many questions to be answered about what we ought to do next, and it seems like you perhaps are the number one contender for the commander of our forces, whatever those may be…” 

“Good morning to you too Naia.” Rian said with a chuckle. “I’m afraid that will have to wait some time. I am completely willing to lead but there are some things I need to attend to first. Starting with Deet.” 

Naia donned a rather serious expression on her face. She likely already knew what conversation was coming next. 

“Do tell.” Naia encouraged.

“Well, as you all saw in the battle, Deet was able to absorb and channel the darkening. We didn’t have time to fill you all in before the battle, but she was gifted this ability from the Sanctuary Tree. At the time, and even now, she didn’t understand what this capability was exactly and at what cost it would come. She’s completely appalled with herself for killing another being, skekLach.” Rian started. “She’s not in a good place. Even her appearance bears some of the marks of the darkening, which I know you and Kylan are very familiar with.”

Kylan and Naia nodded as Rian took a moment to pause and think over his next words.

“I’m afraid it will consume her if we don’t find a solution. The tree told her that the energy can be transferred, but Deet is unwilling to harm any other creature or being. Not that I would want her to do that anyways, unless it was the skeksis, of course… I come to you to ask if there is anything you can think of that might be able to help her. Do you know of any way or anywhere we should go to learn how to manage this burden she bears?” Rian’s voice grew to be thick with emotion. “I can’t leave her alone. I can’t leave her like this. Yesterday she tried to run away on her own. I barely got her back. I had to stay with her all night… I’m afraid. I don’t think I can deal with another loss. Not another loss this close to me. I’ve only begun to get to know her and I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

The three gelfling all showed their empathy for Rian in their faces, Gurjin moving closer to Rian and throwing an arm around his shoulders to comfort him. There was some silence between them all before Naia spoke up.

“I am not certain that there is a way to cure her of the darkening, but I have some ideas. I have been able to cure some creatures of their afflictions using my healing abilities, but I don’t think I could heal Deet given the sheer amount of energy she was able to channel. You should meet with the mystics, or perhaps the Cradle Tree.” Naia said, looking down to her hands. “The thing is, with the Cradle Tree you will be very close to the Crystal Castle… I’m not sure if that’s safe for you.”

“I have to try Naia. I’m not sure where I can find one of the mystics, I don’t know how much time I have to search… If she stays as she is now things should be fine, but if the situation worsens then I don’t think I have enough days to go searching for one of the mystics to answer my questions in riddles.” Rian said.

“You should seek the Cradle Tree then.” Kylan agreed, “It will be dangerous but we’ve eliminated the Hunter, and Rian is capable with a sword… You need to do what you can to save Deet. She is important to the resistance, if she can learn to control this power, she may be our only chance against the skeksis.” 

Rian nodded. “Then I will go there with Deet, today we will begin our journey.” 

“Rian, I can accompany you, there’s nothing I’m needed urgently for…” Gurjin offered.

“No, Deet wants to be as alone as possible. She’s afraid to harm others. Please understand.” Rian said, locking eyes with Gurjin. “Besides, I think you need to take my place at the table to command our forces until I can return. Between you and Naia I think you will perhaps do an ever greater job than I could.” 

Gurjin nodded, understanding the position that Rian was in. He needed to see Deet healed, if it was at all possible. Yet he also needed to know that it was okay to leave the resistance in this moment.

Naia nodded, “Rian we understand the position you are in. Please make haste and take Deet now. Gurjin, Kylan, and I will take you place at the table with the Maudra’s and do our best to uphold your family’s reputations as great warriors.”

Kylan chuckled a bit, “I’m not sure that I will do anything of that sort, but I will be there to provide input whenever I can.” 

“I am so thankful to have all of your friendships. Thank you for understanding that I need to do this, for Deet and truly for myself as well.” Rian said, putting his hands on his thighs and standing. “I must return to her now I am feeling anxious that she might have taken off on her own already. Thank you again for your help. I shall return to you as soon as I can.”

The other gelflings stood and embraced Rian before he departed back to the cottage where he and Deet had spent the night. His heartbeat quickened as he approached the door and turned the handle. He prayed to himself that Deet would still be inside. When he pushed the door open all of his worries melted away. 

Deet sat at the small table in the middle of the cottage, spooning food into her mouth and locking eyes with Rian, somewhat startled at his abrupt entry.

“Deet, I have a plan.” He said.

She took a moment to swallow her food before responding. “What’s that?”

“You and I are going to visit the Cradle Tree.” Rian said, offering her a small smile.

“Cradle Tree?” She asked.

“Yes.” Rian said nodding and already packing his things.

**Author's Note:**

> I see this piece having additional relationships as I continue to write, because I really want to show all of our beloved characters as they take their time to decide how to move forward in a world of war. :) Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
